The June ABI was 46, up slightly from May, but still a sign that there’s a decline in demand for design services across the country.

The ABI measures “work on the boards” and is considered a leading economic indicator because construction work follows design work by about 9 months to a year.

Any ABI number above 50 is good, and means there’s an upswing in demand for design work. Anything below 50 is bad.

“The steep decline in nonresidential property values has slowed investment in new facilities,” said AIA chief economist Kermit Baker, in a prepared statement. “Conditions at architecture firms continue to remain very soft, but we’re optimistic that they will improve before the end of the year.”